Teddies like to sit in street windows. They're looking out for passing babies and toddlers. Wave if you see one.
Here's a peekaboo screen game to play with distant family. Put a teddy or teddies somewhere in view behind you when you have family screen time. Who can spot the teddy?
But it's a game to play off screen as well. Here's how. With your baby or toddler on your lap, bounce a teddy on their knee, then whisk it away behind your back on 'Hide away, Teddy!' Little babies are so wonderfully easily puzzled. You may need to be more skilful to hide teddy quickly from a toddler. But teddy pops out again on 'Boo!' so it's not for long. Clap teddy's hands, dance him on baby's knee, and 'kiss' baby's nose with his.
Here sits a teddy on your knee, knee, knee, Hide away, Teddy, where can he be? Where is he? Where can he be? BOO! There's the teddy! Can you see? Now he wants to clap for the baby ~
(clap clap clap clap clap clap clap clap clap)
The melody of the song is an adaptation from an old American circle game for slightly older children. In the original song, one child sits on a chair in the centre of a ring of circling children. The seated child chooses someone to take the next turn in the centre. We wrote new words and we changed the melody to make it a peekaboo game for babies and toddlers.
Here is the song in a Playsongs movie special, performed by Leon Rosselson. The illustrations are all by Rachel Fuller, who hid a teddy in every illustration of Livelytime Playsongs and Sleepytime Playsongs. Now her hidden teddies are back at play. You can find all of them in the two books - there are lots!
Words by Sheena Roberts Melody adapted from traditional by Sheena Roberts Performed by Leon Rosselson for Livelytime Playsongs, published by Playsongs Publications
©Playsongs Publications